Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

'Moral values or political expediency'?

As our elected senators, you took an oath of office, stating you would support and defend the U.S. Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Growing up in the U.S., I felt great pride and confidence in our country’s standing in the world and in our president.

Things are different now. We now have an immoral, domestic enemy as our president, a man who, in the words published in Christianity Today last week, should be removed from office. Their words addressed you:

“Remember who you are and whom you serve. Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior. Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump’s immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency. If we don’t reverse course now, will anyone take anything we say about justice and righteousness with any seriousness for decades to come?”

Please don’t compromise your moral values for political expediency. Stand up and be strong, a profile in courage! Is the danger of you being a target of Trump and losing the next election worth throwing our democracy and the future of your children and grandchildren under the bus?

Jeanne Goldberg, Bonita Springs

Grinch steals impeachment.(Photo: R.J. Matson/CagleCartoons.com)

'Void' the impeachment articles?

The Senate, which already knows what the articles of impeachment provide, should declare them null and void and the president exonerated.

Constitutional authorities are divided on whether the standard for impeachment, "Treason, Bribery, or other high crimes and Misdemeanors" requires a literal crime or something less stringent. Virtually all authorities agree it means at least dereliction of duty in "the most extreme situations."

No previous impeachment case justified it. Andrew Johnson, who followed Abraham Lincoln, refused to abide by the obviously unconstitutional Tenure of Office Act. Nixon, who would have been impeached except for his resignation, and Clinton committed criminal conduct, but neither man was ever a threat to the United States.

The danger is now that impeachment is becoming a mere expression of policy disagreement or disappointment in an election outcome. This trend is likely to become an increasingly common threat to national stability. We should avoid such a disaster. The easiest way would be by amendment to substitute for the current wording something like "treason, bribery or other acts amounting to a direct and imminent threat to the independence or internal peace and stability of the United States."

Richard W. Metz, Fort Myers

Yes, 'rigged' — but for Trump?

President Trump has been impeached. Sadly, the Republican cowards in the Senate will never vote to remove him, while not denying incontrovertible facts.

If ever a president deserved to be impeached, it is Trump. He actually invited the Democrats to do so, with his phone calls and his stupid Twitter account.

He has undermined our great intelligence agencies by siding with our sworn enemy Russia on every issue. Our allies worldwide do not like him, but Trump seems to love all dictators — despots who don’t mind killing their own people.

Trump was right when he stated the 2016 presidential election was rigged. It was rigged by Trump and the Republican Party, with the help of Russia, social media (fake news), Wikileaks and former Republican FBI Director Comey. Also, every state that Republicans controlled cheated by gerrymandering and purging voters, mainly minorities. Even our conservative-controlled Supreme Court helped by gutting the Voter Rights Act.

Included in the Republican Party base are at least 10 racial-right-extremist hate groups across America.

The real threat to our democracy is the Republican Party.

Laugh of the day: Pinocchio with the long-nose stated “Fox News” covers both sides of the story. What day and year was that?

E. L. “Bud” Ruff, Naples

'Need for a legitimate third party'

If the editorial pointing out a whopping 39% of voters consider themselves moderates doesn't scream for the need for a legitimate third party, I don't know what does.

If our forefathers were smart enough to design three major branches of government to ensure neither branch could overpower the other in an "us verses them scenario," then why do we accept only two major political parties?

The perfect example is Sen. Murkowski, who doesn't agree 100% with either party. That's one smart senator.